Saddle Up
For those of you who ride horses, you know, and we pretty much all understand, that the first step toward going on a long horseback ride is to saddle up your horse. And the next step is to get in the saddle and grab the reins. You can ride bareback of course but in reality, the failure to take the time to strap a saddle on your horse will cost you and your horse some serious discomfort in a short amount of time.
How many times in life do we do just that? We have great intentions before we embark on a task or adventure, and we intend to complete it well, but we soon learn that we simply weren't prepared for success. It's been said that, "failing to prepare is preparing to fail". And that's a difficult statement to argue. Sure, sometimes we get lucky and success simply falls in our lap, but most often, in order to achieve desired results, we must prepare. We must saddle up.
And how often to we ourselves say, or hear others say; I just wish I could lose some weight, or I wish I could quit smoking, or I'd sure like to have a different job, or I wish my marriage was better, or the list can continue. But we must accept reality that we can't wish anything better, we must saddle up and begin the ride to make it better. You won't quit smoking or drinking until you put the cigarette or bottle down. You won't find a new job until you search for one. Or maybe you can learn to love the job you already have or get promoted within the same company. Either way, you must saddle up, you must do something, or nothing will change. Your marriage won't get better until you put forth effort to make it better. Your child's behavior won't improve until you implement some boundaries and stick to them. Will you saddle up? Will you start your ride? You can send the horse off without a rider, hoping it will arrive at the desired destination, but reality is that without you on board to guide it, it will simply wander until it's too tired to go anymore and lay down. Unfortunately, your life will look the same way. Unless you are in the saddle, guiding your moves, then your relationship, job, or venture, will do just that: lay down!
I've been fortunate in my life to have some great people around me as role models to inspire me not only to saddle up, but to take the reins and help steer. The reason I say "help" steer, is because out ahead of the reins I'm holding, I gave God the lead rope of my life and I let him guide my steps. But because free-will has always and will always exist, there's nearly always a bit of slack in the rope and He leaves it up to me to pull the reins and guide my life in the direction He's moving. And he won't saddle up for me. He won't sit in the saddle. He guides me but leaves it up to me to saddle up and follow His guidance.
Friend, no matter how you look at it; It's your life. It's your horse. It's your saddle. No one can saddle up for you and no one else fits in your saddle. It's custom tailored for you to fit in. I'm guessing you're facing a decision, challenge, or something in your life that needs your input. I know I am. Are you going to set the horse free to wander off on it's own, or will you saddle up and ride?
